An Overview of the Entire Mahayana Path to Enlightenment: Ven. Robina Courtin

Diunggah oleh

Deskripsi:

It’s necessary to have an overview of
Buddha’s teachings. The various points have
been nicely packaged by the Tibetans, in
particular Lama Tsong Khapa’s tradition, and
is known as the lam-rim, based upon the
elucidations of the eleventh-century Indian
master Atisha

An Overview of the Entire Mahayana Path to Enlightenment: Ven. Robina Courtin

Judul Asli:

Diunggah oleh

Deskripsi:

It’s necessary to have an overview of
Buddha’s teachings. The various points have
been nicely packaged by the Tibetans, in
particular Lama Tsong Khapa’s tradition, and
is known as the lam-rim, based upon the
elucidations of the eleventh-century Indian
master Atisha

An Overview of the Entire truths and that Buddha has shown to be

completely untrue.Mahayana Path to Eventually, we undergo a paradigm shiftEnlightenment in the way we perceive ourselves and theVen. Robina Courtin world. Buddha says that the extent to which these assumptions are out of sync with how things actually are is the extent to which we suffer and the extent to which, therefore, we harm others. Thus, a consequence of practiceIt’s necessary to have an overview of is the ending of suffering, nirvana – aBuddha’s teachings. The various points have psychological state, not some place likebeen nicely packaged by the Tibetans, in heaven.particular Lama Tsong Khapa’s tradition, and The lam-rim is presented according tois known as the lam-rim, based upon the three levels of practice. The first two scopes,elucidations of the eleventh-century Indian as they are called, are practices shared by themaster Atisha. Hinayana teachings of Lord Buddha, and the In the lam-rim the essential points of third scope is the presentation of theBuddha’s extensive explanations of Mahayana components of the path topsychology and philosophy are extracted and enlightenment.presented from A to Z in such a way that According to Mahayana Buddhism, just asthey can be internalized, experienced as a bird needs two wings to fly, we need bothsomething relevant to one’s life – which is the the wing of wisdom and the wing ofpoint of all the teachings. As Lama compassion. In order to develop the wisdomTsongkhapa, the fourteenth-century founder wing – mainly accomplished in the first twoof the Gelug tradition, says in one of his scopes – we work on our own minds; thepoetic texts on the lam-rim, Songs of main beneficiary is oneself, but indirectlyExperience, “All the teachings are to be taken others also benefit. In order to develop theas sound advice as there is no contradiction compassion wing – accomplished in the thirdbetween scripture and practice.” scope – we continue to work on our minds, It is easy to be captivated intellectually by but the focal point is others.Buddha’s ideas about reality but to forget totaste them, as Lama Yeshe would put it. It’s THE PRELIMINARY CONTEMPLATIONSalso easy to not know how to taste them. Thetype of meditation that one uses to 1. NATURE OF MINDinternalize these ideas, advocated by Lama The first point to become familiar with –Tsongkhapa, is called analytical meditation. using the approach of Lama Zopa Rinpoche – Simply, analytical meditation is a method is the beginninglessness of the mind. Andfor familiarizing oneself – the meaning of the especially for Westerners, this demands thatTibetan word for meditation, gom, is “to we understand the nature of mind in afamiliarize” – again and again with the conventional sense. “The workshop is in thevarious approaches taught by the Buddha, mind,” as Rinpoche puts it, and as long asbringing them from the head to the heart, we’re not clear about exactly what the minduntil they are one’s own experience and no is and what it is not, we won’t make muchlonger merely intellectual. progress in our practice. In other words, by sitting still and According to Buddha, “mind” refers tothinking about Buddha’s views again and the entire spectrum of our internalagain and from many angles in a clear and experiences: thoughts, feelings, emotions,intelligent way with a finely focused mind – tendencies, personality characteristics,in other words, by analyzing them – we are unconscious, subconscious, intuition, spirit;compelled to reassess at ever deeper levels all of this is known as mind, orthe fundamental assumptions that we hold as consciousness. It is not the brain, it’s not

ENTIRE PATH 1physical. It does not come from anyone else, know that we haven’t learned from others, soneither one’s parents nor a superior being. it goes without saying that to develop our The only other option is that it comes from perfection in the way that Buddha describesprevious moments of itself, that it has its own it, we need to find a qualified teacher.continuity, and thus is beginningless. This Having found the teacher, we need topresent moment of mind has to have come devote ourselves appropriately in order tofrom a previous moment, which itself has get the maximum benefit from thecome from a previous moment, and so forth. relationship. In short, the heart of thisLike the chicken and the egg, we cannot find practice is to see the guru as the Buddha.a first moment. No matter how far back we It is said that the real benefit that comestrace the continuity of our mental moments, from a teaching is not so much from thewhichever moment we get to, that moment teacher’s knowledge but more from our owncan’t simply have begun on its own, out of confidence, our faith, that the teacher is thenowhere; it must necessarily have come from Buddha. And we will have this confidencea previous moment of that very continuity of only if we have thoroughly and intelligentlymind. Thus, we can never find a first checked the teacher before committingmoment. (And it’s the same with physical ourselves. If we’re half-hearted, or overlyenergy, the universe itself. As His Holiness sentimental, there will be no stability in thethe Dalai Lama said in discussion with relationship, and we won’t be convinced thatscientists: Big bang? No problem. Just not the the instructions are valid. We are movingfirst big bang, that’s all.) into uncharted waters, so we need great As a starting point for practice, it’s also confidence. The responsibility is ours.crucial to understand the ultimate nature ofthis mind of ours. According to Mahayana 3. THIS PRECIOUS HUMAN REBIRTHBuddhism, every living being possesses Having found a teacher, we need to energizeinnately the potential for perfection, for ourselves to want to develop our innateBuddha hood. The term in Tibetan for potential; the desire to do so doesn’t comesentient being is sem-chen, literally, mind naturally. Lama Atisha, the eleventh-centurypossessor; and according to Buddha there is Indian master who wrote the text Lamp fornot an atom of space where there are not the Path to Enlightenment upon which Lamasentient beings. Tsongkhapa’s lam-rim teachings are based, Each of these beings is actually a potential recommends that we contemplate howBuddha (in Sanskrit, “fully awake”) in the fortunate we are that as human beings wesense that an acorn is a potential oak tree. have such excellent conditions: an intelligentThat is the acorn’s nature, what it really is. mind, a healthy body, access to validWe have no choice but to give it the spiritual paths and teachers, and so forth;appropriate conditions to enable it to become and that we are free of the appallingwhat it really is, an oak tree. And so with conditions that the vast majority of sentientsentient beings: we have no choice but to beings experience.develop our innate potential for perfection. This human life is a rare thing to have. That is to say, we can develop all our good According to Buddha, human beingsqualities – such as love, compassion, represent only the tiniest percentage of allgenerosity, wisdom, and so forth – to a state living beings. In The Tibetan Art ofof perfection beyond which we can’t develop Parenting, one Tibetan lama was quoted asthem further. This state of perfection, Buddha saying that whenever any human male andsays, is our natural state. female are in sexual union, billions of consciousnesses that have recently passed2. THE VIRTUOUS FRIEND away (from all realms of existence) areRecognizing that we have this innate hovering around, desperate to get a humanpotential, we need to find someone to show rebirth.us how to develop it. There’s nothing we

ENTIRE PATH 2 If we were to realize how hard we must All living beings are experiencing thehave worked in our past lives to have results of their own past actions. As Lamaobtained this good-quality, one-in-a-billion Yeshe says, It’s not as if someone in a placehuman body and mind and this collection of called Hell built that iron house, lit theconducive conditions, we would be blazing fire, and thought, “Aha! I am waitingextremely humbled and would find it for Thubten Yeshe. Soon he will die andunbearable to waste even a single moment of come here. I’m ready for him!” It is not likethis precious opportunity. that. Hell does not exist in that way. The To waste this life is to use it for anything reality is that at the time of death, theless than the practice of morality – and the powerful energy of the previous negativeminimum level of morality is to refrain from actions of that being, existing as imprints onharming others. To use this life even more its mind, is awakened, or activated, andskillfully, we could remove from our minds creates that being’s experience of intensethe most deeply held wrong assumptions suffering, which we call Hell. Hell does notabout how things exist; and, even more exist from its own side; the negative mindskillfully still, we could fulfill our innate makes it up.potential for perfection by attaining Buddhahood, and then be able to work unceasingly 6. REFUGE IN BUDDHA, DHARMA, ANDfor the benefit of others. SANGHA Whom can I turn to give me the methods toTHE LOWEST SCOPE OF PRACTICE prevent such a suffering situation? We can have great appreciation for an excellent4. DEATH AND IMPERMANENCE doctor, but if we’re not suffering, we won’tHaving primed ourselves for practice, we go out of our way to consult him. But whennow contemplate how this precious and rare we discover that we’re sick, we will eagerlyhuman life is extremely fragile and can end at turn to him and his medicine.any moment. The assumption of permanence Recognizing that we’re suffering, weis deep within us. The idea that our friend contemplate the qualities of Buddha, hiswho has cancer is dying and we are not is medicine, and his practitioners, and, basedabsurd. As Lama Zopa Rinpoche points out, on our wish to get rid of suffering, we turn to“Living people die before dying people every them for support. Especially we turn to theday.” Dharma, Buddha’s medicine, the methods he By contemplating that our death is taught that we will apply. The Dharma is thedefinite, that our time of death is uncertain, real refuge.and that the only thing of any use to us atdeath is the accumulation of virtue within 7. KARMAour minds, we will radically increase our Now we actually begin to practice: we applywish not to waste this life. Buddha’s instructions on how to avoid suffering. We learn to know what to practice5. THE SUFFERING OF THE LOWER and what to avoid. According to Buddha,REALMS everything we say, do, and think is a karma,Given that we could die at any moment – an action, that will necessarily bring a“Best to think that I will die today,” says reaction, a result, in the future. EveryRinpoche – and given that there are countless thought, word, and deed plants seeds in ourimprints of negativity, the potential causes of minds that will necessarily ripen as fruit:future rebirths, on our beginningless minds, negative actions ripen as suffering, positiveit is not unlikely that our next rebirth will be actions ripen as happiness. There is nothinga suffering one. By contemplating the that living beings experience that isn’t thesufferings of such beings as animals, hungry result of what they’ve done before. Withghosts, and hell beings, we can develop a karma, there is no one sitting in judgment,healthy revulsion for those types of rebirth. punishing or rewarding us. Actions bring

ENTIRE PATH 3their own results; it just naturally happens, determination not to create these negativeaccording to Buddha. actions, not to do harm, again. Given the simple logic that we want “We can mold our minds into any shapehappiness and don’t want suffering, we learn we like,” Lama Zopa Rinpoche says – andto abide by the laws of karma – natural laws, that we are “insane,” not to do this practicenot created by anyone. What we are now is every day.the result of what we have done, said, and Having a strong appreciation for the logicthought before, and what we will be in the of karma, based on thinking about death andfuture is thus in our own hands. We are the impermanence and the lower realms and onboss. One might say that for the Buddha, going for refuge in the Buddha, his Dharma,karma is the creation principle. It is not and Sangha – all based on the preliminaryenough, however, merely to refrain from three contemplations – we can be assuredcreating negative karma; we need to take care that, at the very least, when we die ourof the karmic seeds already in our minds, consciousness will continue to experience anplanted there since beginningless time. Thus, environment conducive to happiness.we begin to “have great respect and esteem Psychologically, this is the basic – butfor the four opponent powers, which can nevertheless amazing – level of practice. Afully purify us of having to experience the person of this level of capability is a matureresults of our negative karma in the future,” human being possessing a healthy self-as Lama Tsongkhapa says in his Songs of respect, who recognizes that their actionsExperience. bring consequences to themselves, and who Given that we’ve had countless lives in thus wants to avoid committing any negativethe past and that many of the karmic seeds in actions. At this level of practice, there is notour minds from those past lives are likely to yet any talk of compassion for others – thatbe negative, and given that suffering comes belongs to the third scope. First, we need tofrom negative karma and that we don’t want develop compassion for ourselves.suffering, it follows that we would want toremove the negative karmic seeds from our This is the beginning of renunciation, theminds before they ripen. first principal aspect of the path to Purification is a psychological process. enlightenment.“We created negativity with our minds,” saysLama Yeshe, “and we purify it by creating THE MIDDLE SCOPE OF PRACTICEpositivity.” The four opponent powers areregret, reliance, the antidote, and the 8. SUFFERING: THE FOUR NOBLEpromise. TRUTHS First, we need to regret the harm we’ve At this point, we are now subdued enough,done in the past to others, because we do not and aware enough, to delve more deeply intowant any more suffering in the future; we’re the way our mind works; to understand in afed up with suffering. Second, we need to more sophisticated way Lord Buddha’srely upon the Buddha and his methods; we model of the mind. We now truly become ouralso rely upon the sentient beings whom we own therapists, as Lama Yeshe would say. Byhave harmed by developing compassion for familiarizing ourselves with the four noblethem, aspiring to become a Buddha as truths, for example, we can fully developquickly as possible, since only then can we renunciation.really know how to benefit them. Third, we The third noble truth is Buddha’sapply the antidote in the form of a assertion that it is possible to be free ofpurification practice. This is like taking the suffering. This is another way of stating,medicine for our karmic illness – and according to the Mahayana BuddhistBuddhism has a medicine cabinet full of approach, that we all possess the innatemedicines. Finally, we make the promise, the potential for buddhahood. So, if it’s true that it’s possible to be free of suffering – and

ENTIRE PATH 4Buddha is not talking the way most religions The root cause of our suffering is the statetalk, that this can only be achieved after of mind called ignorance (often known aswe’ve died, in heaven with God; he’s talking self-grasping when it’s related to oneself).psychologically – then we need to discover Effectively, however, attachment is theprecisely what suffering is (the first noble main source of our problems in day-to-daytruth), we need to discover precisely what life. It’s the default mode of the mind. Yet,the causes of suffering are (the second), and when we hear Buddha say that we can’t bethen we need to know the way to stop happy unless we give up attachment, wesuffering and its causes (the fourth). It’s panic and think, as Lama Zopa Rinpocheextremely practical. puts it, “You mean, I have to give up my This needs a lot of inner investigation: the heart, my happiness?” This is because weclarity, precision, and depth of analysis that confuse attachment with love, happiness,we use in scientific discovery is what Buddha pleasure, and so forth.demands we use to discover the nature of our The main cause of the second kind ofminds, karma, emptiness, and the rest. suffering, the suffering of change, is There are three kinds of suffering: the attachment. The experience of pleasure I getsuffering of suffering – ordinary, everyday when I eat chocolate cake is, in fact, nothingsuffering and pain; the suffering of change – other than suffering. Why?what we usually think of as happiness; and First, the pleasure doesn’t last:all-pervasive suffering – the condition of Attachment is completely convinced that itbeing propelled into this universe, with this will, but the pleasure inexorably turns intobody and mind, all of which are products of suffering – the more cake I eat, the moredesire and the other delusions, and thus are disgusting it becomes.in the nature of suffering. Second, the pleasure I experience is The causes of suffering are two: karma, nothing other than suffering because it’sour past actions that set us up to meet this adulterated, not pure. The pleasure issuffering situation, and the delusions, our dependent upon delusions: I need to getpresent neurotic responses to our situation. something in order to be happy. And third,The punch in the nose, for example – which is the pleasure is actually suffering because, aswhat we normally think of as the cause of our our mothers told us, “The more you get, thesuffering – actually plays only a secondary more you want.” I don’t actually getrole, according to Buddha. My past harmful satisfaction when I eat the cake, which isactions are the main reason I’m being what my attachment expects. In fact, I getpunched now, and my angry response to the dissatisfaction instead, as my yearning to eatpunch is the main reason I will suffer in the cake is even greater next time.future. Thus, the ball keeps rolling. However, Attachment goes to extremely subtleonce we establish the actual causes of the levels. It’s insidious. As Lama Yeshe says, heproblem, we will know how to solve it. could tell us about attachment “for one whole We need, then, to become very familiar year,” but we’ll never begin to understand itwith the way our mind works. We start by until we’ve looked deeply and carefully intolearning to distinguish between sensory our own minds and discovered the intricaciesconsciousnesses and the mental of it for ourselves. Attachment is a honey-consciousness. Then, within mental covered razor blade: we are convinced it’s theconsciousness – our thoughts, feelings, and prelude to pleasure, but in fact, it leads toemotions – we need to distinguish between nothing other than pain.the positive states of mind and the negative. The pleasure we get by followingAnd then, crucially, we need to understand attachment is the pleasure of the junkie: ithow all our emotions are conceptually based. doesn’t last, it is contaminated, and it leadsAnger, attachment, jealousy, and the rest are only to more craving. In our culture, it’s theelaborate conceptual constructions. They’re junkie who is said to have a problem withstories made up by our minds. attachment while the rest of us are “normal.”

ENTIRE PATH 5According to Buddha’s model of the mind, Bodhichitta comes from the developmentattachment and addiction are synonymous. of great compassion: not only is the sufferingDue to our attachment, in other words, we’re of others unbearable, but one feels theall addicts – it is simply a question of degree. responsibility to remove it, just as a mother Buddha says that real pleasure, or knows that it is her job to relieve thehappiness, is the state of our minds once suffering of her child. His Holiness the Dalaiwe’ve given up attachment. It’s our natural Lama calls this great compassion “universalstate (attachment, anger, jealousy, and the responsibility.”rest are thoroughly unnatural, according to Great compassion comes fromBuddha), it lasts, and it isn’t dependent upon compassion: the finding of the suffering ofsomething outside of ourselves. Who others unbearable.wouldn’t want that? Compassion is developed after love, Contemplating the four noble truths again which is the wish that others be happy.and again will eventually bring us to a (Khensur Rinpoche Jampa Tegchog hasgenuine renunciation of suffering and its pointed out that, depending on the person,causes. As Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, we will sometimes compassion is developed beforehave achieved renunciation when “just the love.)thought of another moment of attachment is The foundation of all these is equanimity,so disgusting, it’s like being in a septic tank.” the awareness that friend, enemy, and The person at this level of capability is an stranger are actually equal, from the point ofextremely wise, joyful, loving person, and view of their each wanting to be happy.utterly content, regardless of whatever Of the various meditation techniques usedhappens in their life. to develop these amazing states of mind, the series known as exchanging self with othersThey have now accomplished renunciation is considered to be the most powerful. Lama– having understood suffering and its Atisha received these instructions ofcauses and wanting to give it up – the first exchanging self with others from his guruof the three principal aspects of the path, Serlingpa in Indonesia. As Pabongkhawhich is the culmination of practice of the Rinpoche points out in Liberation in the Palmfirst two scopes. of Your Hand, after Lama Atisha received these teachings, they were kept secret, as theyTHE GREAT SCOPE OF PRACTICE were considered to be so far beyond theThe accomplishment of renunciation is the capability of most ordinary people.sound basis for the development of love, Another way of developing bodhichitta,compassion, and eventually, bodhichitta, the which comes from Lama Tsongkhapa,second principal aspect of the path. combines the techniques taught in Without being fed up with my own exchanging self with others with those of thesuffering (renunciation), based on the sevenfold cause and effect instruction, elevenunderstanding of why I’m suffering (my past altogether.karma and present delusions), I cannotdevelop empathy for the suffering of others 9. EQUANIMITY(compassion) based on the understanding of Friend, enemy, and stranger are labelswhy they’re suffering (their past karma and invented by the ego. A friend is necessarily apresent delusions). person who helps me – not my next door The culmination of this scope of practice is neighbor, me. An enemy is someone whobodhichitta: the spontaneous and heartfelt harms me, and a stranger is a person whowish to become a Buddha as quickly as neither harms nor helps me. Consequently,possible because the suffering of others is we feel attachment for the friend, aversion forunbearable, knowing that only as a Buddha the enemy, and indifference toward thecan one be effective in eliminating the stranger. We are blinded by these views.suffering of others.

ENTIRE PATH 6 Until we can go beyond these deluded person is kind when they make the effort tointerpretations and come to see our enemies, help us, then it’s clear our mother has beenfriends, and strangers as equal, our hearts kind in a myriad of ways. Even if she gavecan’t grow genuine love and compassion. As me away at birth, her kindness in notLama Zopa Rinpoche says, the love we feel aborting me is extraordinary.now (for our friends) is indeed love, but it’s If all beings have been my mother, thenunstable because of being based on they have all been kind to me in a vastattachment. There are strings attached: as number of ways.long as you help me, of course I will loveyou, that is to say, want you to be happy. 11b. CONTEMPLATING THE KINDNESS We need to argue with our ego’s views, OF ALL BEINGSgradually seeing the illogic of them, An even more profound way to expand ourdiscovering that in actual fact our friends, hearts to encompass others is to contemplateenemies, and strangers, from their point of the ways in which all beings are kind to me.view, are completely equal in wanting to be There’s nothing that I’ve used in my life thathappy. hasn’t come from the work of countless living This equanimity is the stable foundation beings. I can’t find the beginning of theon which to build genuine love, compassion, number of beings involved in the making ofgreat compassion, and bodhichitta. this book I’m holding: the trees the paper We now meditate on the eleven came from, the people who cut down thetechniques for developing bodhichitta. trees, the creatures who died, the people who shipped the trees, the driver of the truck, the10. ALL SENTIENT BEINGS HAVE BEEN people who made the truck; those who madeMY MOTHER the paper, who cut the paper, wrapped it,Recognizing that our mind is beginningless, those who made the wrapping; those whoit follows that we’ve had countless previous built the store where I bought the book…If itlives in which we have been connected to all were not for every one of them, I would notbeings countless times. It’s a matter of have a book, clothes, food, even a body.numbers. This contemplation is a practicalway to expand our mind to encompass all 12. REPAYING THEIR KINDNESSothers. In order to open my heart to these I have no choice, then, but to try to repay thecountless faceless beings, it helps to think endless kindness of these countless motherabout how they’ve all been my mother in the sentient beings, but for whom I would havepast. In the West, we might think this is nothing. I would not even exist.meant to make us miserable, as we tend tothink that our mothers are a main cause of 13. SEEING OTHERS AND MYSELF ASour suffering. It’s helpful, then, to EQUALcontemplate the many ways in which our Because of my delusions, instinctively I seemother has been kind. my views, my needs, as more important than the views and needs of others. But there is no11a. CONTEMPLATING THE KINDNESS logic to this at all. In reality, there is not aOF THE MOTHER fraction of difference between me and others,At the moment, with our deeply held wrong in just the same way as there is no differenceassumptions – that I didn’t ask to get born, between friend, enemy, and stranger.that who I am has nothing to do with me, Everyone else wants to be happy and doesn’tthat my mother and father made me, and so want to suffer, just like me. Just ask them;forth – it seems reasonable to blame our this fact is not hard to prove. Even if I haveparents for our problems. Also, even our low self-esteem, I don’t really see others asview of kindness is mistaken: we think of more important than me; actually, I resentsomeone as kind only if they do what we them. Always, I’m full of an overriding sensewant. However, if we understand that a of self.

ENTIRE PATH 7 Eventually, we take on the sufferings of all14. THE DISADVANTAGES OF living beings in the various realms. WeCHERISHING MYSELF MORE THAN imagine that this suffering comes into us andOTHERS smashes the rock of self-cherishing at ourFrom the point of view of the wisdom wing, heart; as a result, we imagine that all othersthe main cause of our suffering is self- are now free of their suffering.grasping, the instinctive clinging to aninherent sense of self. From the point of view 17. GIVING MY HAPPINESS AND GOODof the compassion wing, the instinctive wish QUALITIES TO OTHERS: DEVELOPINGto take care of myself more than others – the LOVEattitude of self-cherishing – is the problem. When we breathe out, we imagine giving our All my problems with others, in my happiness, wealth, health, good qualities, andpersonal relationships or at work, are because merits to our friends, then to our enemies,of putting myself first. Even in a relationship and then to all living beings. How marvelouswith another person in 12 Becoming the that they are now happy!Compassion Buddha which I feel like thevictim, this too is due to my past negative 18. GREAT COMPASSIONkarma toward that person, which I created On the basis of these meditations, weout of self-cherishing. gradually become convinced that it’s our job actually to take away the suffering of others.15. THE ADVANTAGES OF CHERISHING If not me, then who will do this?OTHERS MORE THAN MYSELF Contemplating in this way will eventuallyEverything good in my life comes from lead to the profound attitude of bodhichitta.having put others first in the past: I havemoney because of my past generosity, people 19. BODHICHITTAlike me because I’ve been kind in the past, Bodhichitta is the spontaneous and heartfeltthey trust me because I’ve spoken the truth. wish to become a Buddha as quickly asPutting others first is why I feel good right possible because only when we arenow. enlightened will we be qualified to do the job If putting others first is what will make of perfectly guiding others away from theirme happy, then how illogical of me not to do suffering and to the perfection of their ownso. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, buddhahood. One who has completely“If you are going to be selfish, be wisely accomplished this sublime state of mind is aselfish: cherish others.” bodhisattva. One of the indications of having accomplished bodhichitta, of having become16. TAKING UPON MYSELF THE a bodhisattva, is that the thought of “I” noSUFFERING OF OTHERS: DEVELOPING longer arises in the mind; thus, one existsCOMPASSION only for the sake of others. It is said that evenUsing the meditation technique called tong- the breath of a bodhisattva is for the sake oflen (giving and taking), we visualize a others. With this realization of bodhichitta,suffering person or group of people in front we will have accomplished the second of theof us. This technique can be done conjoined three principal aspects of the path.with the breath: when we breathe in, we We now practice the six perfections of theimagine taking into ourselves the sufferings bodhisattva: generosity, morality, patience,of others. enthusiastic perseverance, meditation, and Pabongkha Rinpoche recommends that wisdom. The first four are accomplished inwe start in the morning: after we rise, we relation to sentient beings, the last two invisualize taking upon ourselves our own one’s meditation.afternoon headache. Then we move on totaking on the sufferings of our dearestfriends, then those of our enemies.

ENTIRE PATH 820. GENEROSITY created the cause to experience it, so I haveWe practice this by giving things to those no choice but to accept it. By thinking in thiswho need them, even as small as a mouthful way, I purify my negative karma as well asof food to a dog; giving advice to help develop a brave and happy mind.people’s minds; giving what is called There is also the patience of acceptingfearlessness by rescuing creatures from sickness, problems, and so forth that come toimminent death, for example, or by liberating us, for the same reasons as above. Lama Zopapeople from prison, as Pabongkha Rinpoche Rinpoche says that “the thought of likingsuggests. problems should arise naturally, like the Sometimes it’s easier to give advice than thought of liking ice cream.”to give money to a homeless person, for And finally, there is the patience ofexample. We should learn to give what’s gaining assurance in the Dharma, asdifficult to give – and perhaps we could give Pabongkha Rinpoche calls it.five dollars, not fifty cents. A sign of having perfected generosity is, 23. ENTHUSIASTIC PERSEVERANCE, ORfor example, the ability to effortlessly give JOYFUL EFFORTour body to a starving animal (assuming, of Without enthusiasm, we can’t succeed atcourse, that there’s no other supply of food anything in our lives, especially

available - bodhisattvas aren’t trying to prove buddhahood. The main obstacles are theanything). In one of his previous lives, Lord three kinds of laziness.Buddha happily gave his body to a starving The first is the ordinary laziness of beingmother tiger who was about to eat her babies. too tired. We assume sleep is a necessity, butRight now, we’re not even capable of giving, there are countless great practitioners whoas Lama Zopa Rinpoche has said, “one tiny, have gone beyond the need for it.tiny drop of blood to a mosquito.” The second kind of laziness is what we usually call being too busy: putting off doing21. MORALITY what we need to do. It feels like a virtue, butIn our practice of the wisdom wing (the first is, in fact, one of our biggest obstacles toand second scopes), we focus on the morality success.of refraining from harming others. In the The third kind of laziness is the deeplypractice of the third scope, the compassion held belief that I’m not capable. It, too, feelswing, we focus on actively benefiting others like a virtue; it seems as if we are beingas well: we work to help the homeless, the humble. But as long as we think that we can’tsuffering, the sick, the poor, the dying – achieve our potential, we will remain stuck inwhoever crosses our path needing help. our comfort zone, never moving forward. In any case, it’s simply not true: we all possess22. PATIENCE the potential to be a Buddha. It’s our nature.Patience is not merely gritting our teeth andwaiting for unwanted things to go away. 24. MEDITATIONPatience is a courageous state of mind that Calm abiding, or mental quiescence, is thehappily welcomes the difficulty. state of mind of a person who has achieved There are three types of patience. First, single-pointed concentration in meditation.there’s the patience of accepting the harm There are two kinds of meditation, and this isthat people do to us. The main reason we get the accomplishment of the first kind:so upset is because of our deeply held wrong concentration meditation.assumptions that it is unfair for others to Single-pointed concentration is a subtleharm me, that I don’t deserve it, that it has level of conscious awareness, during whichnothing to do with me, and so forth – Lama the grosser levels of conceptual and sensoryYeshe calls ego “the self-pity me.” Buddha awareness have necessarily ceased. It is asays it has everything to do with me: I state of mind not even recognized in Western

ENTIRE PATH 9models of the mind, but one that Buddha against our nature, Buddha says; we willsays we can all access. always suffer, and we will cause suffering to The main obstacles to our achieving calm others.abiding are the two extreme states of mind First, we need to comprehend thethat we gravitate between during meditation: Buddha’s explanations about the wayover-excitement and dullness. The person ignorance and the other deluded emotionswho has accomplished calm abiding has gone function and about the way the self and otherbeyond even the subtlest levels of these two things actually exist. Then, using thestates. The mind when it’s single-pointedly microscope of our mind, accessed in single-concentrated is extremely refined, very sharp pointed meditation, we probe and analyzeand clear, and utterly still. Sensory awareness again and again in the second mode ofand gross conceptuality have completely meditation, called insight meditation, howceased. The meditator can effortlessly access this ignorance is a liar and a cheat: that it’sand stay in that state of mind as often and as been hallucinating the fantasy self all along.long as they like. The experience of mental In the subtlety of concentrated meditation wequiescence is also an extremely joyful one – deconstruct ignorance’s fantasies, eventuallyfar more blissful, according to Lord Buddha, discovering, experientially and irreversibly,than the best sensory pleasure we’ve ever the absence of the fantasy self. As Hishad. Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, it’s not as if we find the ego and then throw it out - it25. WISDOM was never there in the first place. What weThe essence of the perfection of wisdom is find is its absence. The discovery of thisthe development of special insight into absence is the experience of emptiness.emptiness. With the subtler level of consciousawareness gained in calm abiding With this, we will have accomplished themeditation, we can identify and counteract third principal aspect of the path, the viewthe primordial misconception, the wrong of emptiness.assumption held deep in the bones of ourbeing, about the way we ourselves and the So unbearable is the suffering of others, weworld around us exist. This misconception is will now happily embark upon the skillfulcalled ignorance, and keeps us locked into practices of the Tantrayana, which willthe cycle of suffering. enable us to very quickly achieve our natural This ignorance is not merely unawareness potential for Buddhahood.of what’s actually happening but a state ofmind that actively makes up its own The Editor’s Introduction from Lama Yeshe’sfantasies. It is impossible to see through the Becoming the Compassion Buddha, Wisdomelaborate projections of ignorance with our Publications.usual gross conceptual level of mind; weneed to access the microscope of our mind to
do that, using the techniques of calm abiding. As mentioned above, the extent to whichwe are not in touch with the way things are isthe extent to which we suffer and, in turn, theextent to which we harm others. Ignorance,ego-grasping, is the root neurosis, theprimordial root cause of this suffering. Itsmain function is to cling to a separate,limited, and fearful sense of self, and itsvoices are attachment, jealousy, anger, pride,depression, and the rest. As long as wefollow these, we are acting completely